There are many terms for
all the problems associated
with the tsunami of information and the convenience to
access it, but the one term that sums it all up is techno-
stress, which is the feeling of being overwhelmed with
sensory bombardment from the online technology.
Factors contributing to techno-stress include, but are not
limited to, privacy issues, identity theft, smartphone radi-
ation, Internet scams, bandwidth, Internet gambling and
pornography addiction, and child access to adult content.
Perhaps the most widespread stress from technology that
most people experience is the perpetual distraction of
emails and text messages and the replacement of face-to-
face conversation with digital communications.
Research from the University of California at Irvine
reveals that the constant interruption of emails triggers
the stress response, with the subsequent release of stress
hormones affecting short-term memory. And if you
ever wondered if people, perhaps even yourself, seem
addicted to checking emails, voice mails, or tweets, con-
sider this fact: research shows that the receipt of emails
and tweets is accompanied by a release of dopamine.
Dopamine, a “feel-good” neurotransmitter, is associated
with chemical addictions. In the absence of dopamine
release, boredom ensues, until the next fix. Every abrupt
shift in the history of societies has had its associated
stressors; for example, the shift from agrarian to indus-
trial society was correlated with a dramatic increase in
alcoholism, regarded as a “social disease” of its time.
In today’s abrupt shift to online technology and social
media, the online technology is itself the addiction.
Young people today who never knew life without a
smartphone or iPad don’t understand why older adults
seem so concerned about their addictive tech habits.
Meanwhile, adults now notice that children and teens
raised with screen technology may be well versed in
cyber-communication skills, yet socially immature
with face-to-face communication skills, including
using eye contact.
Since the advent of smartphones, several new terms
have been created to capture the behaviors associated
with them. With the phenomenon known as screen
addictions, we now have “digital toxicity” (neuro-
logical stress or burnout from the constant engage-
ment [neuroplasticity] with smartphones and other
devices). In essence, the brain becomes wired for stress
through technology. “Digital dementia” is a term used
to describe people who rely so much on their smart-
phones and digital devices that they don’t give their
no one is exempt from the sociology of stress. Whether
we like it or not, we are all connected to each other.
Are you a product of your culture? To get a better idea,
please complete the survey found in Exercise 1.6.
Perhaps the sociology of stress can best be acknowl-
edged through the newest buzzword, “social net-
working,” with the likes of Facebook, Twitter, Skype,
YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, and new social media
and networking outlets taking shape on the cyber-
horizon. Technology has even changed how people
converse at dinner parties (e.g., one person asks a ques-
tion and five people pull out their smartphones and
Google the answer). Technology, the economy, and the
environment have become significant threads of the
social fabric.
Techno-Stress
The tsunami of cyber-information has been building
for years, yet the first devastating wave seems to have
hit the shores of the human mind in earnest about
the same time Facebook hit a billion users in 2010,
the same year that the Swiss Army Knife included
a USB drive for “survival.” Although information
overload, privacy, ethics, and bandwith are issues for
many, deeper problems are coming to the surface in
the age of iPads and smartphones. The cyber-alchemy
of tweets, Facebook updates, Skype messages, text
messages, and the deluge of emails has hit a critical
mass of annoyance for some and addiction for a great
many people who are fed up with giving their lives
over to technology. The growing dependence on tech-
nology has even inspired a term: screen addiction. If
it’s not computer screens and smartphones, it’s iPads
and Bluetooth technology, none of which are bad,
but can become problematic if your life is completely
centered around being plugged in all the time. The
perfect storm of stress is the overwhelming amount of
information available, the distractive nature of being
plugged in 24/7, a sense of alienation, and the poor
boundaries people maintain to regulate this infor-
mation. The concept of poor boundaries is shown by
nearly all college students who text during classroom
lectures as well as the scores of people who bring all
their technology with them on vacation, thus never
separating work from leisure, and possibly compro-
mising both. Similarly, fewer than half of employees
nationwide leave their desk/workstation during lunch
hour, according to a Manpower survey, leading to
higher stress levels and fatigue (Marquardt, 2010).
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told to pack up and leave during the 2012 London
Olympics (some missing their events) for inappropriate
“tweets” considered not only rude, inappropriate, and
racially offensive, but a violation against the ethics of
the International Olympic Committee standards to
which these athletes take an oath. How did things go
so wrong? Some people blame poor parenting skills.
Many cite talk radio and various news media outlets
that broadcast incivility. Others point their finger at
the proliferation of technology and the constant self-
promotion that seems to go along with it (Meyer, 2008).
Many say the perfect storm of “uncivil Americans” is
a combination of all these factors. Noting the serious
issue of American incivility, Rutgers University has
initiated a one-credit course called Project Civility for
students, with topics ranging from smartphone eti-
quette and cyber-bullying to civil sportsmanship and
social responsibility. It is likely that other colleges will
follow this trend.
According to a study by the New York Times, the
average young American now spends every waking
minute (with the possible exception of school classes)
using a smartphone, computer, television, or other
electronic device. Adults appear to be no different. It
is not uncommon to see people texting while at movie
theaters, talking on smartphones in restaurants (despite
signs prohibiting their use), and texting while driving
(despite the growing number of state laws banning
this behavior). In 2006, researchers at the University
of Utah were curious to see if the distraction of smart-
phone use while driving was similar to driving while
under the influence of alcohol. Using driving simu-
lators it was revealed that people on smartphones
show a driving impairment rate similar to a blood
alcohol level of 0.08 percent, the demarcation of drunk
driving in the majority of states in the United States.
Although many people may recognize the dangers of
talking and driving, few offer to give up this mode of
multi-tasking.
Many people use technology to avoid stressful situ-
ations, again adding to a general lack of civility in
society. Examples include quitting a job with a tweet,
breaking up with a girlfriend/boyfriend on Facebook,
or sending a derogatory email and blind-copying
everyone in one’s address book. The modern lack of
civility cannot be blamed entirely on technology, yet
the dramatic rise in the use of communication devices
has played its part. How would you rate your current
level of social etiquette?
brains time to store information from short-term to
long-term memory. And finally, “FOMO” (fear of
missing out) is the term for anxious behaviors associ-
ated with an addiction where the ego needs to be fully
engaged with social networking.
The boom in the telecommunications industry and com-
puter industry, pillars of the information age, have led to
an overnight lifestyle change in U.S. and global society.
In their book Technostress, authors Weil and Rosen
(1998) suggest that the rapid pace of technology will only
continue with greater speed in the coming years, giving
a whole new meaning to the expression “24/7.” Their
suggestions have proved quite true. They predict, as do
others, that the majority of people will not deal well with
this change. The result will be more stress, more illness
and disease, more addictions, more dysfunction, and a
greater imbalance in people’s lives. There is general con-
sensus that the rate of change with technology has far
outpaced the level of responsibility and moral codes that
typically accompany the creative process. Exercise 1.6
invites you to examine your techno-stress level.
The Rise of Incivility
Have you noticed that people today seem quick-tem-
pered, impatient, cynical, self-centered, and perhaps
even rude at times? If you have, you are not alone.
Civility, as expressed through social etiquette, refers to
the practice of good manners and appropriate behavior.
Many consider basic rules of civility to be sorely lacking
in today’s culture. Experts attribute the lack of civility
to an alchemy of narcissism and a national lack of
values, contributing not only to social unease, but also
to the economic mess that created the Great Recession
of 2008. Moreover, a revolution in the way people com-
municate with each other over the past few years has
dramatically changed the social fabric of our culture,
particularly how we relate, or fail to relate, to each
other in face-to-face situations. Instant accessibility
has sown the seeds of impatience. Politeness has given
way to rudeness. Internet rants and talk-radio phone
calls carry over into face-to-face shouting matches at
sporting events and political rallies. Social manners
(e.g., appropriate behavior and thinking of others first)
have become minimal if not obsolete for many people,
particularly when bursts of anger perpetuate feelings of
victimization. Today’s self-centered, narcissistic indul-
gences have hit an all-time high, many of which are
directly related to political incivility. Incivility seems
to be a global issue as well. Several star athletes were
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